The field of the invention relates to a broiler for an electric oven.
Typically, domestic electric ovens have a bake heating element positioned adjacent and parallel to the cavity floor and a broiling heating element positioned adjacent and parallel to the cavity ceiling. When baking, the desired oven cavity temperature, such as 350.degree. F., is selected by the operator and then the bake element is activated to raise the entire cavity including the walls and the air to that selected temperature. Then, in response to a cavity temperature sensor, the bake element is cycled on and off to maintain that selected temperature. Although the broiling element may also be cycled on and off at a reduced power level during the bake cycle to lightly brown the surface of certain foods such as cakes, baking predominantly results from heat which is transferred to the food from the air.
When broiling, the broiling element is continuously activated at full power and the bake element is not used. Typically, after preheating the bake element, the food, such as steaks or hamburgers, is placed on a slotted broiling pan and positioned on an upper rack near the broiling element. As is well known, broiling is accomplished by utilizing the principle of radiant heat transfer. More specifically, rather than heating the cavity air to some temperature as done with baking, the heating of the food during broiling results predominantly from infrared energy radiating from the broiling element to the surface of the food. After the food is cooked on one side, it is turned over and the other side is exposed to the radiant energy from the broiling element.
A significant disadvantage of electric oven broilers has been that they don't provide enough radiant energy to the food to produce optimum broiling. For example, rather than providing enough radiant energy to rapidly brown the surface of meat so as to sear the juices in and leave the center of the meat less brown or pink, electric broilers typically cook much slower so that the surface never gets to a searing temperature and the heat has time to conduct inwardly thereby producing a center which is almost as dark as the surface. Accordingly, to prevent overcooking the interior, the surface has to be left at a relatively light color which is not as palatable as charcoal cooking. The poor performance of prior art electric oven broilers is emphasized when they are compared to gas oven broilers having a mesh that is rapidly heated to a relatively high incandescent temperature by the gas flames. The mesh produces substantial infrared radiant energy for rapidly searing meat.